


Bryce Larkin is not just Bryce Larkin

by Quinis



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Chuck (TV)
Genre: Bryce is Nightwing, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 09:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13784208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: "There's nothing simple about a double life," Chuck stated.Everyone stared at them."Technically, it's a," Bryce paused as he tried to calculate. "Not triple... are we counting cover ids?"Bryce Larkin is not just Bryce Larkin. Morgan investigates.





	Bryce Larkin is not just Bryce Larkin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KeJae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeJae/gifts).



> Notes: This story boils down to one sentence: Bryce Larkin is Dick Grayson and Morgan learns the truth. The idea came from KeJae:  
>  _... it would be too fun to pass up, however, if you have to you could do a more Morgan centric fic later. Like having him hate Bryce, they find out he's actually Dick, get excited, and then maybe say something like he'll forgive him if he takes him to the batcave or something. Chuck could hack the batcave to reach Dick once they figure it out?_  
>  I didn't do the Chuck part though. Just a Morgan part.

 

* * *

**Bryce Larkin is not just Bryce Larkin**

* * *

Bryce Larkin was the guy who had gotten Chuck kicked out of Stanford by framing Chuck for cheating. Chuck's girlfriend also got with Bryce after Chuck was gone.

All in all, Morgan didn't like Bryce Larkin. It didn't matter that he had only done it to keep Chuck out of the CIA. Morgan liked the CIA so that was even more reason to not like the guy. Morgan had been the one to stay by Chuck's side while he moped and tried to move on after the betrayal. Morgan had been the one to be there when all the spy craziness was going down. Morgan was the one who was currently a member of Chuck's team. So;

"Why is he here?" Morgan demanded to know, pointing an angry finger at Bryce Larkin.

Bryce smiled at him from the computer console.

"It's quite simple really," he said. "I need a team to help me out with something."

"Just like that? You really think we're going to drop everything to help you?" Morgan said.

From the other side of the table, Casey nodded in agreement. When Sarah and Chuck glared at him, he explained, "people other than the enemy tend to get shot when Larkin is around."

"Is that a stab at me getting shot on the job?" Bryce asked. He huffed. "You don't have to help, you know? I just thought that you might enjoy this one. It has to do with my other job, so I'm technically hiring you."

"He's already paid," Sarah said.

Casey smirked a little. "No wonder you're eager to do this," he commented. "How much?"

Bryce wrote an amount on a piece of paper and slid it over to Casey. Casey looked at it and paused.

"How do you have that much?" he questioned.

"I've never really had reason to use the money the CIA pays me," Bryce responded. "I live a simple lifestyle."

Chuck snorted. "Yeah, 'simple'."

"What's that supposed to mean, Chuck?" Bryce asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chuck smiled serenely back. "Nothing at all. I may or may not be thinking of the stuff I found under your bed in college."

Bryce went a little red. "You were never supposed to find that. And I don't see why it matters anyway," he said. "I still lived a simple life."

"There's nothing simple about a double life," Chuck stated.

Everyone stared at them.

"Technically, it's a," Bryce paused as he tried to calculate. "Not triple... are we counting cover ids?"

Morgan frowned at him and made a mental note: Bryce is probably lying about being Bryce. After all, why else would he talk about having a 'triple life'?

* * *

Guns clicked and pointed at them. Morgan held his hands up, awaiting either rescue or death. Bryce pressed up against his back.

"I hope you know, I blame you for this," Morgan said spitefully. After all, Bryce had been the one to suggest they bluff their way in. Morgan had gone with him because someone had to watch  _the nemesis, Bryce Larkin_.

"Of course," Bryce said in a pleasant tone. "And I'll get us out of this."

"You are getting nowhere," the leader of the group said. His voice had a Russian tone to it and Morgan could just hear Casey somewhere hissing, 'Russians' with prejudice.

"Yeah, that's not really a threat," Bryce said, pulling out two sticks from somewhere. Was he really going to fight them off with two sticks? Morgan knew he was doomed.

There was a quiet hissing noise and smoke began to fill the room. "Morgan, get down!" Bryce said. A hand grabbed Morgan's shirt collar and yanked him down. Morgan stayed there as the sound of flesh hitting something sounded around him. A couple of guns fired blindly in the smoke and the thumping of bodies hitting the ground caused Morgan to hope that this was Chuck come to rescue them.

The smokescreen began to clear and Morgan could make out a figure with two sticks walking over.

"Nemesis," he greeted Bryce as the other emerged from the smoke. "Where's Chuck?"

"Chuck? Outside I guess. I think I heard something go bang."

As the smoke lifted, Morgan could see six bodies lying unconscious on the ground. There had been seven men.

"You're lucky the little one didn't get shot," the remaining man said, revealed to be still standing in his spot.

Morgan glared at Bryce, instantly suspecting a trap.

"It's not a trap," the man said.

Morgan pointed at him. "That's what you both want me to think! And then the moment I turn my back, you've killed me."

"No, that's what they were going to do," Bryce pointed out shortly, motioning at the men on the ground.

"He doesn't know," the man commented. His brown hair regressed into his skull, his skin turned green and he gained enough height to tower over the both of them. Morgan instantly accepted the nickname 'little one' from this giant. He also recognised the green giant mindreader. "Yes. I am the one known as Martian Manhunter."

Martian Manhunter, almost legit Justice League member, was reading his mind! Morgan wondered if he had met Batman.

"I have indeed met Batman. But perhaps that question would be better directed at my associate?" Martian Manhunter indicated towards Bryce.

Morgan made a small sound of surprise as he turned to see Bryce frowning at the superhero.

"Why him?" Morgan questioned in a grumble.

"Because he has been Batman's partner for the longest time."

Bryce really didn't expect Morgan to be able to piece it together. He was shocked as Morgan turned to him and asked if he had been Robin. After all, Robin was the only hero who came to mind when Morgan was thinking about long time partners of Batman.

Well, Robin and Superman but Morgan really didn't want to think of Bryce as the big guy in blue. Bryce's not nice moments would make more sense if he was from Gotham.

"Yes, I was Robin. I'm now Nightwing. And if I find you've spread it around, then I'll get J'onn here to erase your memory."

Morgan wasn't the least bit frightened by that threat. "Wouldn't be the first time. You realise I've had my memory taken out by the intersect, right?"

"I could fix that," Martian Manhunter said.

"Leave it. I'm fine," Morgan said. He walked over and around Bryce, trying to see any sign of superhero-awesomeness in the blue eyed spy. "If you're a superhero, where's your costume?"

Bryce looked around. Chuck and the team had just managed to get in but were still a few minutes away. He decided to throw Morgan a bone and he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the black armoured costume beneath with large blue bird insignia spread across his chest from shoulder to shoulder.

Morgan touched it. "And your super-belt?"

"Don't call it a 'super-belt'," Bryce said to Morgan. "I don't have one."

"Really?" Morgan mused with interest.

Bryce sighed and pulled up his pant leg and revealed the pockets in his boots. "Really. Everything I need is stored on my person." A couple of moments later, Chuck and the team arrived. Bryce introduced 'John Jones', a detective from LA who had also been on the trail of these men. He had been the one to propose the mission as Bryce owed him a favour.

* * *

"So you sleep in a coffin?" Morgan asked Bryce as they sat in the back of the van during the drive back.

"No."

"Do you... have a side-kick of your own?"

"A protege? Not right now."

"What about the current Robin?"

"He's with his father. How do you know about him anyway?"

"Because the internet likes making theories up and it was obvious when the calm, skilled Robin changed into the angry little Robin currently following the Batman around."

* * *

"Have you ever killed someone?"

Bryce jumped a little as Morgan appeared from under the desk. Surprise attack: success.

"...define 'killed'."

* * *

"Oh! I know!" Morgan had been asking questions all morning. "Who's your favourite superhero to work with?"

"Red Hood."

"He's not a superhero. He's killed people. I said hero, not anti-hero."

"Fine. Red Robin."

"Why wasn't he first?"

"Because Red Hood is older."

* * *

A package arrived addressed to Bryce the next day. At first, Morgan frowned upon Bryce receiving a package at the Buy More because he didn't work there. Even though he was hanging out 'down below' in Castle and coming up every now and then to hang out with Chuck behind the Nerd Herd desk, he was not an employee.

However, Morgan was elated when Bryce opened the box to find a small letter inside. It read 'why was Jason really first?' Morgan assumed that Jason was probably Red Hood's name.

"Tim," Bryce muttered. He frowned at Morgan's grin. "This is your fault you know. It'll get worse. Just wait."

Pizza arrived that afternoon, addressed to the Buy More staff and with strict instructions that 'Bryce Larkin' was not allowed any.

Chuck scolded Morgan at first because Bryce shook his head.

"This was not his doing," Bryce said, knowing exactly who was behind this. Since Chuck knew about him being Nightwing, Bryce admitted it was Batman. "He's probably sore that I didn't answer with 'Batman' to Morgan's question."

"Batman is the best," Morgan announced before running off to grab some pizza.

That was the best response. The empty boxes of cereal which appeared in Castle were a little more disturbing. Someone had managed to break in without setting off any alarms or getting caught on camera.

"Those were mine," Bryce admitted with a sigh. "I hadn't finished them. Can you not mention this?"

"We don't need the CIA doubting our security here, Larkin," Casey said.

Chuck confirmed that the boxes were empty, although 'why did you pick Todd?' was written inside all of them.

"Robin," Bryce confirmed outside Casey's and Sarah's earshot. "Although I suspect that Oracle helped him break in."

Bryce's family was messed up and Morgan loved it. He wouldn't admit it, but he loved catching glimpses of Bryce doing flips too.

At least no one commented on the increase in Batman merchandise Morgan started purchasing.

* * *

Nightwing was in full uniform. His mask rested on his face, the hidden compartments in his boots and gloves were filled and the blue of his uniform shone in the darkness. His senses were as sharp as always so he didn't miss the clattering of the bin as someone stumbled over it in the dark.

Sitting above the person in on the fire escape, Nightwing sighed. He hooked his legs into the ladder and hung himself upside down and just above the intruder in the alley.

"What are you doing here?" he said to Morgan.

"Ah, Bryce! Don't scare me like that!"

"Call me Nightwing when I'm dressed like this. No other names," Nightwing growled.

"Yes, yes," Morgan said, rolling his eyes. Nightwing wondered if he would do it or if he just didn't care. It felt like someone without any concern for secrets had discovered his. Morgan kept the spy secret, somehow, but this was another story.

"Don't glare at me like that," Morgan said when he didn't respond. "I won't tell anyone. It's a secret. Not like anyone would believe me. Nightwing smiles you know."

"Excuse me?" Nightwing said in a baffled tone.

"Nightwing smiles. And jokes. Bryce is all-serious."

Nightwing had a moment. "I've been Batman," he said.

"So? I imagine Batman doesn't spend his days hanging out in underground spy bases."

"You'd be surprised," Nightwing responded, thinking of the Batcave.

"And there's the joking and banter which Bryce doesn't do a lot. Unless of course, you're talking to Chuck."

"Wow. You're pulling out all the stops today. What is it then? Do you want me to leave Chuck alone?"

"No. I want you to at least treat me like I'm here. So I'm going to follow you on patrol."

Nightwing thought that was a terrible idea but Morgan stuck with it. The little guy followed him around and they ended up talking during quiet times of the night. Nightwing had to admit, he couldn't remember ever really talking to Morgan. Maybe the little guy had a point about his actions as Bryce. He didn't really interact with anyone.

"So, who would win in a fight: Nightwing or Batman?" Morgan asked. They had been playing this game all night but it was the first time Nightwing had appeared in it.

"We've actually fought. I won," Nightwing said. Morgan stared disbelievingly at him. "Okay, it was a tie, which means I won. And we both fought almost all out."

"And if you did fight all out?"

"I would win. I've seen too much to lose to the old guy."

"Point. But he's Batman."

"That line doesn't work on me. I'd win."

"How about between me and Batman?"

"Batman. No contest."

"Me with an intersect 2 point 0 and Batman?"

"Still Batman."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Nightwing laughed. Maybe Morgan wasn't too bad.


End file.
